Writing and Your Health

This is something you can do for yourself that pays off big with no more investment than a pen and some paper. 

There is evidence that writing helps improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. Check Professor James Pennebaker's site for why and how (http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Home2000/WritingandHealth.html)

Below is a brief quote from his page. 

"Getting Ready to Write   Find a time and place where you won?t be disturbed. Ideally, pick a time at the end of your workday or before you go to bed.
Promise yourself that you will write for a minimum of 15 minutes a day for at least 3 or 4 consecutive days.
Once you begin writing, write continuously. Don?t worry about spelling or grammar. If you run out of things to write about, just repeat what you have already written.
You can write longhand or you can type on a computer. If you are unable to write, you can also talk into a tape recorder.
You can write about the same thing on all 3-4 days of writing or you can write about something different each day. It is entirely up to you.
What to Write About   Something that you are thinking or worrying about too much
Something that you are dreaming about
Something that you feel is affecting your life in an unhealthy way
Something that you have been avoiding for days, weeks, or years"

==============================================
Try writing about some painful memories in this way. It won't take the place of a non-judgmental friend or a counsellor who would acknowledge your suffering but it helps putting things into perspective, in a coherent narrative that like could make sense.  


Also check out Sharon Lippincott's blog on the topic of "life writing".